[Above: Chinese national Rebecca Wang, 25, a junior guest service executive, serving Minister of State for Manpower and Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan (left) and Migrant Workers Centre co-chairman Yeo Guat Kwang at the Conrad Centennial Hotel yesterday. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO]

Foreign workers in the Hotel, Retail and Food and Beverage (F&B) industries will have to pass a Service Literacy Test (SLT) in order to qualify for skilled levy status.

With the implementation of the test, MOM aims to enhance service standards, raise productivity levels and the quality of the foreign workforce in Singapore.

The test will apply to new non-Malaysian work permit holders, as well as existing non-Malaysian work permit holders who have received their renewal notice from MOM.

The new criterion is in addition to all other skilled levy requirements, such as possessing the requisite academic qualifications or passing certain skill/trade tests.

While the additional criterion will be implemented only in July this year, employers will be allowed to register for the test from April 2010.

This is to ensure that employers will have sufficient time to consider sending their work permit holders for English language course before they sit for the SLT.

Work permit holders who pass the test are expected to be able to listen and understand job-related communications in English and to respond appropriately in English while handling routine tasks at the workplace.

Minister of State for Manpower and Trade & Industry, Mr Lee Yi Shyan said: "With the opening of the two integrated resorts, the Services sector is likely to expand this year. This is an opportune time to raise service standards and productivity levels with the introduction of the service literacy test."

He added: "All foreign workers of all nationalities will benefit from knowledge of it in order to communicate with their employers, other Singaporeans as well as other foreign workers.

"Furthermore, at most workplaces, English is the medium of instruction. Besides interacting with customers, workers should also be able to understand instructions given in English from their supervisors at work."

About the test

The test was developed based on general work settings in the three industries.

Work permit holders will have to pass both components of the test - Speaking and Listening.

In the Speaking test, work permit holders will be asked questions through a pre-recorded video clip and respond by speaking into an attached microphone. A computer system captures the responses for scoring later.

In the Listening test, work permit holders will listen to a conversation, instruction or comment, and subsequently be asked to select a suitable response from a list of multiple-choice answers.

A dedicated website for the SLT registration and other related information will be available from mid-February 2010. More details on the location of the SLT test centre will be announced later.